LeBron James in Toronto: Canadian fans pack Scotiabank Arena to soak in every last moment

TORONTO — Twenty-three years ago in December 2002, Michael Jordan played his final game in Toronto. It was extremely forgettable relative to his vintage self, but still memorable for the few tricks he had up his sleeve.

A 39-year-old Jordan finished the game with a single field goal, the aura still mesmerizing but doing little for his shot making as he went 1-for-9 from the field. Still, he had nine assists and eight rebounds to impact the game and help the Wizards pull away in the second half.

The highlight was a steal he had, by duping Raptors guard Voshon Lenard, who was inbounding the ball. Jordan had his back turned, which presented Lenard with an opportunity to throw the ball of his back to get it in play. But in that very moment, Jordan turned in and simply stole the rock.

"It was a sucker play," Jordan said at the time. "I knew exactly what he was going to do... As soon as I turned my back I knew he went for it."

LeBron James is in his 23rd NBA season, drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers first overall a couple months after Jordan played his final game in Philadelphia. Turning 41 on New Year's Eve and battling injuries more than ever, his latest Dec. 4 matchup against the Raptors could well have been his final appearance in Toronto.

Wearing that No. 23 Jordan made famous across the world, there was a sense of déjà vu from Jordan's night 23 years ago as James scored just eight points on 4-of-17 shooting from the field, including missing all five of his three-point attempts. Still, he managed six rebounds and 11 assists, including the final pass of the game that found an open Rui Hachimura in the corner for the game-winning three-pointer.

There was plenty of purple and gold spread across Scotiabank Arena and plenty wearing James' No. 23. The Lakers, being in the Western Conference, only get to play against their Eastern Conference foe the Raptors in Toronto once a season, and fans didn't want to miss out on the chance of potentially seeing James live for the last time.

Toronto fans hoped to see James one last time

Laker fans PJ and Marylou were draped in Los Angeles gear as they made their way to Scotiabank Arena with a real sense of urgency for their team's only game in Toronto. PJ grew up dreaming of watching NBA games live and loved watching the Lakers. Marylou grew her affinity over the years watching with PJ.

She worked 12 hours on Wednesday night and then took the red eye with PJ from Edmonton to get into Toronto early Thursday morning.

"We came here from Edmonton just to see LeBron play because he might retire next year or something," Marylou said. "We might not be able to see him [again]. Just an overnight stay here in Toronto and then back tomorrow."

Sasha, from Ajax, Ont., made his way to the Raptors' home court wearing a gold Bryant jersey and has been a Lakers fan for virtually all of the 20 years he's been alive. He admits to not being a fan of James joining the Lakers initially but being won over by James' play and leading the purple and gold to a championship in 2020.

"Not gonna be able to see him much longer so gotta enjoy the time," Sasha said of wanting to be at the arena on this occasion. "It's LeBron, you know you're not gonna see another LeBron."

'LeBronto' hasn't left a sour taste with all Toronto fans

It's a complicated relationship between Raptors fans and James.

At the start of the "We the North" era, when Toronto was trying to break through with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan leading the way, it was James stopping them each and every time and rubbing salt in the wound with acts that ranged from taunting to bullying.

There was the time the Raptors rallied from an 0-2 deficit against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals to even the series at 2-2, only for James to say that he had been in adverse situations before and this wasn't one of them. Cleveland won the next two games in blowout fashion to advance to the NBA Finals and win the championship.

Cleveland also swept series against Toronto in 2017 and 2018, highlighted by James fake , and also producing an — all of which seemingly dismantled any sense of self-confidence the Raptors had along the way. When James left the East for the Lakers ahead of the 2018-19 season, it turned into a healing year as Toronto went on to win its first NBA championship.

Fans like Gurnoor and Jag, from Toronto and Hamilton, respectively, have fond memories of the Raptors' title but are loyal to James. Gurnoor was wearing a James No. 23 jersey. He made clear he's a fan of the player and not the team. "Wherever he's at, I'm at."

Gurnoor has been supporting James for 15 years and felt this may have been his last time watching the man he sees as the "GOAT" (greatest of all time) as much as he hopes it isn't. There were some mixed emotions when James was in his "LeBronto" era.

"The longevity, the scoring, his overall basketball, he just does everything," Jag said. "That's what a basketball player should be like because it's a team game."

Despite the pain that James may have inflicted on Raptors fans on the court over the years, he has held nothing but respect and admiration for the city and its fans over the years. They showed up in great numbers to witness what was ultimately a great game, even if they saw James miss one shot after the next, as he looked a long ways away from his best.

As Jag noted, though, James' ability to impact the game in different ways was something fans could still take away as he consistently found his teammates for easy baskets. No one had more assists on a night when he was held to single-digits for the first time in a regular season game since Jan. 5, 2007, a duration of 1,297 games. When the biggest moment came, he knew what was coming and still had a bit of magic for those in attendance.

Asked to comment on his overall experience with this fan base over the years, James didn't hold back.

"They're amazing, I love them, I love it," James said. "I don't know how many games I have left here in this building but these fans are unbelievable. This city is unbelievable, always welcomed me with open arms either if I was coming here to play a basketball game or just coming here to visit.

"I've always loved and appreciated the fan support here, they're one of a kind for sure."